Type III protein secretion systems are an essential virulence determinant of most pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, including Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. The Type III virulence mechanism consists of a secretion apparatus, consisting of about 25 proteins, and a set of effector proteins released by this apparatus. Following activation by intimate contact with a eukaryotic cell membrane, the effector proteins are injected into the host cell, where they subvert the signal transduction machinery and lead to a variety of host cell responses. This virulence mechanism plays a key role in establishing and maintaining an infection and in the resulting pathophysiological sequelae, such as diarrhea, chronic lung inflammation, and septicemia.
Certain protein components of the Type III secretion apparatus are highly conserved among bacterial pathogens, and as such represent suitable targets for therapeutic intervention. Inhibitors of Type III protein secretion are expected to be useful as prophylactic agents (i.e., to prevent the onset of infection by Gram-negative bacteria) or as drugs to treat an existing bacterial infection, either with or without an anti-bacterial agent.
There remains a need to develop, characterize, and optimize lead molecules for the development of novel anti-bacterial drugs.